You have a bird feeder out in your back yard, but you notice that not all of the birds you have seen are visiting it – Why might that be? Well, one answer might be that not all birds are designed to eat the same foods. By looking at the bird’s beak or bill, you …
Category: Backyard Habitats Tags: Adaptations, Animals, beaks, bird feeders, bird feeding, bird habitat, bird your world, birds, cardinal, finches, gardening for wildlife, geese, hummingbird, owls, raptors, songbirds, The Art of Ecology, wildlife habitat, woodpeckers, year of the bird
Gardening season is upon us! I for one absolutely love having as much color surrounding me as possible, so naturally, I plant a variety of vividly colored flowering plants, but why stop there? Why not garden for vividly colored wildlife as well? Butterflies, even the caterpillars, are vital parts of the ecosystem and making your …
Category: Backyard Habitats Tags: Animals, backyard habitat, butterflies, caterpillars, Colors, environment, Flowers, Gardening, monarch, Plants, pollinator garden, pollinators, The Art of Ecology, wildflowers, wildlife, Wildlife Behavior, wildlife habitat
It’s nearing summer and a lot of us are thinking about making our gardens beautiful, bbq-ing, and heading to the beach or pool! What do these all have to do with nature? They all consume an extraordinary amount of water – something that is a valuable resource! Yes, water naturally recycles itself through the water …
Category: Backyard Habitats, Climate Change, conservation, Gardening, Plants, sustainability, The Art of Ecology Tags: Animals, Climate Change, conservation, earth, ecology, efficiency, environment, food, Gardening, nature, oceans, Plants, rain, recycle, science, sustainability, The Art of Ecology, virtual water, water, water on earth, watershed
As a Christian, I find God’s creation absolutely amazing. In fact, this is why I started my studies in biology and science in the first place and guess what – I can see God’s hand at work in all of nature, life, and yes, science. In Job 38-39, God humbles Job by explaining to Job …
Tags: Animals, bible, biology, birds, christianity, conservation, creation, earth, ecology, environment, evidence, Flowers, God, habitats, interconnection, nature, photography, Plants, praise, religion, science, science and religion, scientific, The Art of Ecology, weather
If you’re into gardening or just being out in nature, chances are, you enjoy flowers! Their vibrant colors, textured foliage and sweet fragrances are pleasing. In fact, it’s not just flowers that you like by many other plants including fruits and vegetables! Without pollinators like birds, bats, bees, butterflies, moths and other insects, these beautiful, …
Category: Backyard Habitats Tags: Animals, art, art sale, backyard habitat, bats, bees, birds, blog, botany, butterflies, conservation, earth, earth day, ecology, Endangered Species, environment, Flowers, Gardening, moths, native plants, nature, photography, Plants, pollinators, Seasons, The Art of Ecology, wildflowers, wildlife, Wildlife Behavior, wildlife habitat
Snakes are wonderful for so many reasons! I can see it, some of you are thrilled by this and others…. not so much, but yes – snakes are good, even if they’re not your cup of tea. Snakes don’t have to be your favorite animal for you to realize that they play a vital role …
Category: Backyard Habitats Tags: Animals, backyard habitat, conservation, diy, ecology, ecosystem, environment, food chain, habitats, hibernaculum, nature, pennsylvania, reptiles, snake, snake home, The Art of Ecology, wildlife, Wildlife Behavior, wildlife habitat
If you’re reading this chances are you love animals! Me too! However, as animal lovers, we need to know how to best protect and care for them, especially in the wild. Short Answer This question “To rescue or not,” is a difficult one to answer. Short answer – if it’s human caused (ex. A bird …
Tags: animal lover, Animals, baby animals, birds, Climate Change, conservation, deer, Endangered Species, great horned owl, nature, owls, pa wildlife rehabilitators, predators, prey, rescue, save animals, The Art of Ecology, turtles, wildlife, Wildlife Behavior, wildlife rehabilitation
About this time (maybe even earlier!) each year, I start missing the sunshine and heat like crazy! Fortunately, nature’s got my back and I can get my “spring fix” even during the last dreary winter days. A few flowers get tired of the grey like I do and do something about it; they heat up …
Tags: Adaptations, cold, crocus, Flowers, Gardening, metabolism, nature, Plants, Seasons, skunk cabbage, snow, snow drops, spring, The Art of Ecology, thermogenesis, warm-blooded, wildflowers, winter
As kids, we’re all taught that plants eat sunlight through a complex process called “Photosynthesis.” This is one of the many things that, as humans, make plants a little hard to relate to. If you’re feeling disassociated from plants, here’s something to make you feel better – some plants eat meat! Yum. Meat-Eating Plants Carnivorous …
Tags: Adaptations, botany, care, carnivore, carnivorous plants, conservation, Endangered Species, Gardening, habitats, houseplant, insects, nutrients, photosynthesis, pitcher plant, plant care, Plants, sundew, The Art of Ecology, venus flytrap
Fungi in Winter Typically, we think of winter as a time for plants and animals to go dormant and settle down. Really there are hundreds of thousands of organisms growing during these cold, wet, dreary months! During the winter, we can go out and see so many different types of (drum roll, please…) – FUNGUS! …
Category: conservation, Gardening, Plants, Seasons, The Art of Ecology Tags: conservation, decomposer, ecology, ecosystem, fungi, fungus, Gardening, interconnection, mold, mushrooms, mycology, nature, nutrients, parasite, Plants, science, Seasons, spores, The Art of Ecology, trees, winter